The Pain Inside

Chapter 5

"Quack quack quack quack," a bunch of ducks around her were saying. Some part of Kat recognized that she was in another memory, but her role in the memory seemed to consume her and wash everything else away.

"They like you," Kat found herself saying with a smile as she watched Matt tear a piece of bread off the current slice he was holding and toss it to the ducks, who quickly scrambled to see which of them could get it first.

"They like the food," Matt replied with a faint smile as he tore off another piece and threw it. "But I like watching them, so it's a fair trade."

"Need another slice?" Kaitlyn asked as Matt threw the last of what he was holding. Lifting the bag she was carrying containing the rest of the loaf they'd purchased, she held the end of it open for him as he reached in to pull out another slice. Then he surprised her by quickly tilting his head in to press his lips softly and warmly against hers. It was a gentle kiss, and he let his lips linger on hers for several seconds before he pulled away.

"Did you ever wonder what it'd be like to be one of them? No natural predators around, no worries or fears. People coming around to give you food. You can just lounge around all day with your friends. No stress, no cares," Matt questioned, his eyes fixed on the ducks as he threw pieces of bread to them.

"Sure. But I sort of like kissing better as a human," Kat told him with a wry grin.

"Yeah," Matt agreed, smiling faintly again. Then his attention seemed to be caught by one duck in particular. Kat noticed it too, its feathers a mottled gray with flecks of brown and black. It seemed to waddle a little slower than the rest of the ducks, whether because of age or a past injury, the others would brush past it or bump it out of the way, leaving it to get virtually none of the bread that was thrown. Matt began tossing pieces of bread slightly off to the side, leading most of the flock to rush towards them with the gray waddling behind in their wake. Then he'd quickly tear off another piece and throw it right to the gray, giving the duck a chance to quickly gobble it up before the others could run back. By the time the ducks finally began to wise up and a few started lingering behind to try to compete with the gray for the second toss, the gray had already gotten more bread than any other duck.

"That was sweet of you," Kat murmured with a smile as she moved behind Matt and slipped her arms around his waist, pressing her face gently into his back and breathing in the scent of him.

"I guess ducks have worries too," Matt remarked, and when she glanced over his shoulder she saw a thoughtful expression on his face. "When they're not fast enough, not strong enough. Just this one day, I didn't want that duck to have to worry."

Maybe she was seeing a hint of why Matt had always been so good with animals. Cats, dogs, ferrets, they all seemed to love him. Kat had a friend named Christine with a cat called Snickers that seemed to hate everybody but Christine. When anyone got within five feet of the thing, it either ran away or hissed at them. Yet the one time she'd brought Matt with her to visit the girl, Matt had disappeared after the cat and five minutes later returned with it in his arms purring like crazy as he whispered softly to it. It was like animals could sense something in him, something they loved, the way she did.

Kat maneuvered her head in to give the side of his neck a few soft little kisses. "There's something special about you," she finally whispered.

Gently he turned in her arms until he was staring down into her eyes, his own arms slipping around her. "Whatever it is, it's yours, because I'm yours," he replied, the fingers of his right hand starting to play with her hair as the warmth of his grey eyes seemed to spread through her. "Always and forever yours, Kitty. Everything special in me belongs to you. I belong to you," he whispered, and then his head tilted down and they were kissing again.